


One (hell of a) handover...

by Shackett74



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:48:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21672232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shackett74/pseuds/Shackett74
Summary: We all know of Admiral Hackett's famous self-control from the MET. Can it break, or is he pure self discipline through and through?This is my (long) suggestion.
Relationships: Steven Hackett/Female Shepard
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	One (hell of a) handover...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TinderWulf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinderWulf/gifts).

> My intention was initially to keep it passionately “blunt”. A sudden and sweaty, "quickie" leaving them both in awe and confusion afterwards.  
But that wasn't going to happen other than in the final chapter of my long fic Transformations and Beginnings anew, obviously.  
Instead this became a lengthy, "wordy" thing because I got so curious at what was going on internally with them both, too.
> 
> For more on the handover, Shepard's POV of the impoundment and releasing command - and the debrief with Hackett, please have a look at Two handovers part II in Tramsformations and Beginnings anew.

**Part 1 One handover**

The last word Admiral Hackett received before Shepard arrived told him the handover had gone smoothly. Not that he'd expected any commotion, the few left onboard on the former Cerberus vessel had had enough of the Illusive Man after the suicide mission it seemed, and wished to defect. 

Hackett heard them before he saw the Commander and his former XO and adjutant appear. Or rather, he heard the clapping of hands around the corner with all the Admiral's offices, and over at the CIC, then the Commander and his Chief of Staff came into view, smiling while Shepard's cheeks was blushing red.

The sight of her caused a flash burning through his entire body. Especially as the Commander wore an unlikely uniform in the black, classy dress from the Lucky Charm and heavy, dark grey, boots that reached her halfway up her calves.  
  
For a split second it made him recall pictures of "punkers" and the punk era from ages ago.But the defiant, unruly looks were missing of course.

It was a somewhat tired Commander Shepard that approached him together with the tall and dark Okafor and Hackett wondered if Adamu's and his small signs of respect and gratitude toward her achievements, had eluded her. Okafor had requested to meet with her and deal with the handover in person, something otherwise dealt with by the Admiralty's staff. Or, that Steven met her outside his office, for that matter. There wasn't much else he could do to show her his immense gratefulness at the moment, although he'd made an procurement order beforehand - which his adjutant now seemed to carry - and would get them a shared lunch later.

She approached him with a purposeful yet relaxed assertiveness that made millions of bubbles explode in his abdomen when he finally laid eyes on her. It suddenly felt like his blood was carbo hydrated. 

Otherwise she looked healthy - and very beautiful with her cheeks blushing from the applause and praise she' d just received from the crew on duty at the HQ CIC, and her golden-red hair was collected in its usual bun high up on the back of her scalp.

How could that striking, beauty ever have escaped him? 

”Well, _that_ uniform must have caught some glares on your way here, huh?..” a tiny smile hinting at the corners of his mouth as he greeted her.

"_Admiral_", she greeted, ”I'm sorry but I didn’t have much else to wear, I'm afraid. It was either that, some of my armor or the Cerberus uniform. And I didn't wan't to spend one more darn hour in a uniform of his. ”

A slight sense of embarrassed shame popped up before mixing with a satisfied pride in Hackett upon the realization that Shepard - of course - hadn't been brought back to life with a wardrobe.   
”So it was either these Cerberus outfits, armor or this,”she added and shrugged, throwing him a glance with a glint of something mischievous in her eyes.

_You fool, of _ Steven scolded himself silently, "of course, Commander", he said instead and turned to show them into his office and towards the lounge section with three armchairs around a coffee table.

Shepard looked around, obviously curious though, while Adamu Okafor made himself at home in one of the black Chesterfield chairs that ornate this office and made some preparations for the notes he would take during the first debriefing of Commander Jane Shepard. 

"Care for a cup of coffee?" he asked, pointing at an old coffee machine next to the lounge. "It may look old, almost as old as I," he interposed, "but makes great coffee!"   
"Really?! she exclaimed happily surprised, "Then I'd like Cappucino. Please."

"Will do. And you want the usual I suppose, Adamu?", Hackett replied, stepped over to the machine while admitting to himself that he remembered her dress, heck her entire appearance that evening _very_ well... Shepard watched him staring at the pouring coffee as if enchanted by the sound and sight.   
She had been _stunning_ that night at the Citadel restaurant, waking things up inside of him he thought he hadn’t much need of nowadays. It was hard for any woman to compete with that, he'd realized through the years. 

But ever since _she_ had come back again something was different in how he viewed and cared for her. And how she affected _him_, Hackett's chain of thought was interrupted as he put the cups down and sat down opposite of her.

Sipping on the delicious cappuccino she carefully glanced over at the lanky Chief of Staff who had organized and run things so effective with her this afternoon. A discreet half-smile seemed to play at the corners of his mouth for a split second, but she wasn't sure. His presence also became the reminder of what she had just given up and the uncertainties that lay ahead and it eradicated her smile, making her somber. Those prospects were a lot scarier than going through the Omega 4-relay. Her career had been her everything, but for now Jane pushed that worry away - wasn't there several things to be equally grateful for, or to celebrate even?

...  
Soon enough all three were deeply focused on the debriefing which the Admiral had suggested to perform in reversed order, starting with the most recent events. And as Hackett already suspected there was indeed truly remarkable nature that was revealed.

Through the almost two-hour-long initial Alliance debriefing, a privilege of the Fleet Admiral, and which he knew many were envious of, he was really impressed by her focus and the alert and keen mind. As they finally finished, Okafor efficiently gathered his few things and made an old fashioned attention, he put his heels together loudly in a sign of respect to the Commander in front of him.

"It's been an honor, ma'am!" the usually quiet man said and turned to his CO, "Do you want me to get you a late lunch, sir?" 

Hackett looked over at Shepard with a raised brow as a question. _Bless the man_, Hackett praised silently before she nodded eagerly. _Rarely has a lunch date presented itself as naturally.  
_When Okafor left, the atmosphere in his office shifted, and he found his discipline falter more than once during their lunch. It was perfect though, half professional, half personal in a precise balance.

Their time however was running out, and somehow they both knew it, as moments of the charged, magnetic atmosphere they recognized easily by now, quickly mounting in the tense silences in between their sentences.

A chemistry that spoke of other things between them, burning untold and hidden still.

After a while she caught him taking her face and mouth in, his gaze trailing down to her breasts and waist, with an impenetrable expression on his face that she couldn’t translate.

The silence screamed of the surfaced but unacknowledged attraction between them and with no more subjects for their small talk, she excused herself and rose to take a look at his fascinating collection of books and maps. Quickly he too rose, making her conclude that the Fleet Admiral certainly was the perfect gentleman.

A blurred vision of Hackett in a very sexy, black tuxedo, wooing her flashed by in her mind at that.

Suddenly it felt as if she couldn’t stand one more second of his obvious inner struggle between attraction and self-restraint. She would soon face interrogation and a possible court-martial, _and God knows when or how I’ll ever see him again, and get a chance like this_.

To his surprise Hackett saw her swiftly turn around and face him instead, having the Rumi book at her back.

“I’m sorry if I…” he began probing, assuming she was about to leave. And he didn't want her to, not yet at least. Who knew when they would meet again?

”And _of course_ I remember _you _in the black dress, Shepard - _Jane_, how couldn't I?" 

Jane had no intention of leaving though, especially not when Hackett's words sent sparks straight through her together with a very alluring, inscrutable look in his eyes. 

In the Admiral's mind, the very presence of her this close to him with her captivating scent and marvelous eyes were only heightened by visions of nightly dreams of her. Maybe it was revisiting his secret hauntings of her that caught him off guard, but abruptly the electrical sensation of fingers circling his dress blues brought him back. Somehow the touch made it beneath three layers of cloth and down to his skin underneath, making him hold back a shiver.

Then things went happened in a rapid staccato and a surprised Hackett saw a very determined woman in front of him who firmly began to unbutton his coat, all accompanied by a playful little smirk in one corner of her mouth.

Incredibly fascinated by her, once more, bold and perhaps brazen actions, he remained impassive and observing. To his surprise, she leaned in and placed her warm, soft lips to his with a gently tug at his lower lip.

The sensations of her lips against his and the nearness made it so damn hard to remain in control of his actions, or the lack thereof.

And their burning, magnetic attraction didn't help in the least.

Admiral Steven Hackett shuddered visibly and closed his eyes momentarily while his body and lips decided to act on his desire that had been shoved down for too long, no matter any Admiral's horrified logic and discipline.

Opening his eyes he placed a hand in her hair, wanting to at least feel it's feminine softness around his fingers as he let his lips ghost over hers in an answering kiss. But at the unintentional whimper that left her Steven's one intended kiss became several, chaste and probing kisses.

And although the eyes of the Fleet Admiral was of an ice blue nuance there was nothing icy at all in them when their lips met. Rather like that of a volcano about to erupt. 

And all of it, sensations and realizations all made her soaking wet.

Jane finally had the striking light blue eyes she adored for years just wonderful inches away from her own.  
And it became absolutely overwhelming when they suddenly came closer and his sexy lips, framed by the short and soft goatee, kissed her.

His eyes were the most remarkable blue eyes Shepard ever seen, long before she'd fallen for him. Not only because of the unusual color, but for the way he looked at his surroundings and people revealing a nimble, immensely intelligent mind.

Shepard had never met someone with such weighing and imposing stares like his.

But those eyes blue like a warmer summer sky now, rather than light blue, was intently focused on her and following her every reaction.

_No way __I won't let anything stop us, __t__his time,_ she thought and swiftly pulled his unbuttoned coat behind his shoulders rendering a lifted eyebrow from him.

More from surprise than dislike but still accepting and impassive. 

_I bet he’s in the middle of an biiig inner struggle._

Captivated by her own need to explore more of his upper body she saw his torso more clearly outlined behind that skin-tight reddish shirt the male naval officers usually wore.

His chest was sleek in build, yet muscular and well defined and even if she couldn't see his back she knew enough of human anatomy to know it had to be strong.  
A masculine scent intertwined with a faint hint of his deo or possibly aftershave, enchanted her completely and made her eyes glossy and dark of arousal.

Hackett saw her reaction and cocked his head in curiosity while she enjoyed her view - all the while she felt his eyes on her, curious - weighing. As if evaluating this new and unknown situation and analyzing his options with it.

"You're not making this easy for me, commander..."  
His voice was low, almost pleading but if it was for them to restrain themselves or to delve deeper into their magnetism, she didn't know. And didn’t want to.

Then it was as if he lost some inner battle when his hands went up to her shoulders. Momentarily she got afraid he would push her away but instead, he let his hands slowly trail down her curves where his large hands slowly landed at her waist in a firmer grip.

An involuntary sigh left her lips as she let her fingers trail in small circles over his chest and down to his muscular stomach, exploring his body still outside the shirt. 

To Hackett though, her pleasure in watching him like that with an apparent admiration, was intriguing and created soft butterflies in his stomach, especially as her fingers went lower and lower.

I_ affect her like this..?_

As if reading his mind she gave him a lustful and mischievous glance before she yanked his shirt up from his pants with one brisk move. With her fingers flickering over the warm and soft skin of his lower, toned abdomen at the edge of his pants, Shepard sighed completely captivated, let a finger lightly caress the outline of his toned abdomen up along the string of short darker hair upward. 

He shuddered at her light, electric touch. Astonished and amused at her boldness Hackett let out a half-choked - and in all honesty half-hearted -,

  
”What we’re..do...isn't approp...”.

But she was in a trance with her fingers following every curve, muscle and bone outlined on his abdomen, waist and ribcage. When she looked up he saw her green-blue eyes, glossy and dark.

She heard him inhale sharply as she let her fingers trail over to his muscular waist, slowly moving down again towards his belt...

”Technically..you’re not my superior right now..”, her tone was low and sensuous, almost purring, which he found much enchanting.

Hackett closed his eyes in pleasure for a moment as he quickly lost more and more of his want for protocol and self-restraint. To his inner eye visions of fantasies from more than one night flashed by, when he'd dreamt she was in his bedroom, in his bed.

Then, they'd been shameful to him, believing for so very long he stood above such things,. _She’s right_, he thought, _who am I trying to fool? _I want this for God’s sake, want her. 

It was a losing game for the Admiral and his self-discipline as the man and his carefully suppressed fire, awoke more and more with every caress of her fingers and every dark burning look they shared.

Hackett's hands, still with a firm grip of her waist, pulled her wonderful, enchanting body towards him and put his right hand at her left cheek letting his thumb caress her full lips softly.

"You're right of course. But.._"_ he mumbled, still struggling with arousal dangerously close to erupt as her fingers now explored his chest and nipple, still underneath his shirt. Patiently waiting when his resolve would finally break.

_She's _so _beautiful. Like the enchanting amazon_, he'd time to think when her lips parted and tilted her cheek to let it rest in his palm and satisfied closed her eyes to rest there for a moment.

Much of Hackett's last resolve melted at that unexpected display of emotional intimacy, especially when she tenderly kissed his palm with warm, tender lips. 

The sight of her separated full lips and dark, longing eyes hit him right in the chest like a hot, pleasant spear, spreading through every part of him.

Then his body broke free before his mind and control could follow.  
Inhaling sharply the hand on her cheek disappeared into her hair as the other still on her waist pulled her closer to him and she felt his longing erection, his warmth and then his wet lips hungrily and demanding meeting hers.  
Her pleasing sounds and separated lips only spiked his arousal and made his mouth demand her fully.

In the back of her mind an observation elbowed itself forward telling her Hackett somehow managed to make his kisses blunt, wet and delicate at the same time and that it made her knees weak and wobbly. His deep, aroused and feverish moans even more so.

Soon their mouths and tongue's feverish explorations of each other, had lit their fire beyond any control.

**Part 2 - The Fire erupts**

Her kisses had made him fervid, and Hackett knew he'd lost this battle more thoroughly than he'd ever had one before. And he couldn't care less. It became quite the kiss, exploring and demanding as much as their bodies and hands did, only to come up for air before craving each other again in a frenzy of insatiable, passionate hunger. 

"Doors locked", he almost snarled to the VI assisted security system, adding a "And no calls.."

Jane realized mesmerized that she had it coming... Her dreams she always had suppressed thinking it'd be forever futile finally were coming true. 

Catching her breath for a moment Shepard instead buried her nose and lips in his neck on a lustful whim to draw in his scent while licking and grazing at his sensitive skin. His body shuddered as he shook off the pulled back coat in the next moment, standing before her in only his undershirt half up towards his waist and an impressive erection further below.

"Take it down for me, Belleza”, he ordered with eyes dark blue and a voice harsh with emotions and pure lust.   
She knew what he meant and merely smiling and peering at him through eyelashes while she loosened the bun, letting her hair fall down. Meanwhile he'd quickly rolled up the sleeves of the thin undershirt revealing masculine arms to her when they grabbed her and pulled her tightly to him again.

"Taking too long", he murmured in her hair and inhaling its feminine flowery scent had his mouth demanding hers again, his hands wanting to be everywhere on her at the same time. In her hair, grasping her breasts, travel down her waist, caress her sex between her legs, gripping her rear.

He was completely and utterly mesmerized by this woman who had shattered the renowned self-control of Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett into dust.

His last conscious thought for quite the while was that he didn't care about any consequences, he must have her.

_Now_.

It had turned hot inside the Admiral's office among moans and sighs, whimpers and groans that came from them both in their hasty, uncontrolled passion. There weren't time for neither nakedness nor as much exploration as they wanted. 

A female hand ventured down and occupied itself with light strokes up and down his length, rewarded by them both with stifled groans. But that was before she took a more decisive grip on him outside his pants, and stroked his length more firmly.

It was the voice of the Admiral used to get his way, a voice full of raw, primal hunger.

”Get those pants off _now_, Jane!"

Looking up into his eyes again she saw Hackett’s eyes on fire, like burning blue coals on fire as he took a step away from her to unbutton and unzip his pants. Feverishly glossy eyes that never left her for one single moment, taking in everything from her muscular legs to what he could glimpse of her sex. He breathed heavily trying to hold himself back.

Mesmerized as she'd been by his eyes long before she'd even fallen for him, she found it hard to break away from his enthralling, focused gaze that lustfully was admiring her up and down. It could have been the quickest time she'd ever got out of a pair of pants, too.

But for him, the mere moments and two feet of distance, it took for her to unzip and get one leg free from pants and underwear, were all too long in his intensely aroused mind.

He closed in and swept her off her feet with arms made strong from a life of swordsmanship, and with hands on her bottom, he hoisted her up on him. Automatically she wrapped her long legs around his waist and he turned them towards the wall behind them, looking at her face all full of lust.

With anticipation of what they both knew soon would come, he tilted his head and gave her a deep but more patient kiss.

From which he withdrew for a second to murmur something in her ear sounding like Spanish, his words like a caress.

"Come again?" She managed to say in between breathtaking kisses but this time it was the good Admiral who was as in trance when he hoisted Shepard higher upon him while trying to free himself from his boxers as quickly as possible with one hand.

However, it became heavenly obvious to Hackett how astonishingly aroused _she_ was when he finally made room for himself and managed to stroke her button with his thumb, finding not only her wonderful core hard, but her entire sex dripping wet. Her scent was intoxicating and made him so rock hard it ached.

He barely had time to murmur, “if _this_ is what you want, I’ll give it to you, Jane..”

"Yes, I need _you_ now, sir!” a groan in response as Hackett obliged at the same moment, taking half a step out from the wall to change the angle and letting her body come down on him.

There was an insatiable hunger in Hackett's half-closed, dark eyes as he penetrated her firmly but unyielding, inch by excruciating inch and as deep as she could take him.

And Shepard couldn't help the whimpering hiss that left her when intense bliss and pleasure mixed with slight pain soared through her, despite her evident arousal signs.

She was inexorably nailed by him.

...  
She felt so lovely around him that he barely could hold himself back from climaxing immediately. _Oh my, before even moving once..._the amazed thought surfaced somewhere in the back of his feverish mind.

A low feral moan slipped from his lips as he felt her contracting dangerously around him. _She's close too, then_. _Easy now, Steven_. Linked, every millimeter of where they met skin to skin was caught on fire, sending ecstatic, pulsating thrills through them.

The intensity was too much and both closed their eyes for a moment or it would bring them both over. Shepard held her breath focusing with all her might to last and it was with an almost frantic effort he managed to remain still long enough to bring him back, despite the desperate urge to move and claim her fully.  
With eyes still closed Jane heard his struggle to restrain himself through the deep, exhaling groans.

Steven wanted to savor this, every exquisite moment of their unintentional intimacy.

It almost made her come undone immediately when he entered her. The sensations of him inside her, perfectly still yet, thank the gods, his strong hands on each of her ass cheeks and his gorgeous blue eyes and face so full of pleasure were something she would always remember.

Shepard let go of one shoulder to gently caress his cheek and scar before she whispered in a voice trembling of lust and the intense pleasure of knowing - feeling - _he_ was inside her.. And what was yet to come...

”Just so that you know.. I’ve wanted you ever since my N7 graduation.”

He'd opened his eyes when she whispered her words to him, surprise and immense satisfaction in his voice that abruptly dropped several octaves.

”Is that _so, cariño_?...” 

That voice and tone caused electric chills from her spine all the way down to where he had seated himself and she couldn't help the whimper in her throat.

Relishing every intense sensation with her upper back counterbalancing them against the wall behind, they looked at each other momentarily before she finally felt him beginning to move inside her again, adjusting to their angle with eyes locked to hers, observing every single expression on her face his movements inside her caused.

They felt each other easily. His movements and her muscles grasping around him, so wet and wonderfully hot and slick around him. 

Unable to restrain himself he moved them out from the wall again to allow him longer, firmer thrusts.

And those took both their breaths away.

His grey head was bent back as he looked up at the ceiling, lost in intense pleasure, eyes feverish and his lips parted. And when he looked at her again he revealed all the pleasure he felt, all the hidden emotions for her, buried deeply inside him. And he showed it through a slow determined pace of thrusts that slowly increased as their eyes sparked their fire deeper. 

With the fire raging freely inside, he didn't want this to _ever_ end, and with a powerful stroke that made her gulp he began consider to simply lay her down on the office floor instead.   
"Did I hurt you?" Hackett hoarsely whispered in concern at her yelp but she merely shook her head smiling.

"Hold on, then sweetheart", then swiftly moved them over to his desk instead. 

Hackett felt wonderful inside her, she managed to think consciously. _And damn but this Admiral Silverfox sure knows how to fuck! _

Shepard tightened her grip on his shoulders where the four, thick and golden bars usually glimmered, and leaned in to let her tongue tickle and caress his lower lip as she contracted deliberately around him.

Instantly she was rewarded with a heated guttural sound followed by a passionate counterattack from his lips and tongue instead before he carefully laid her down amidst his datapads, terminals and documents, still remaining inside of her.

Taking a firm grip around her hips instead, and pleased with being able to look at her body and making more powerful thrusts, their primal lust and new position made her give up a cry of pure bliss.

Steven hadn't had time to explore her breast so with his teeth he grazed over the still covered breasts and nipples underneath the black fabric of the black dress. 

Jane couldn't help but noting the impressive feat to move her over to the desk while still being inside of her. And it occurred somewhere in her intensely aroused mind that this magnificent man was mastering every thrust and movement inside her as meticulously and delicately as his fleet in battle.

When he straightened his back he slowed to watch her sex and to caress her swollen and luscious apex with a thumb. The sudden and exquisite touch made her muscles contract wildly than they already did and pushed her dangerously close to climax.

  
"Liked that, did you?" he asked with an unusually amused grin she'd never seen on him before eyes purple and shining of delighted satisfaction at her reaction. 

She only managed to moan, ”Careful, I’m close” then shut her eyes and the impressions of the enchanting images of the Fleet Admiral making love to her on his very desk.

...

Completely intoxicated by her scent and all her bodily signs of her pleasure, he had to force himself to hold back his own pace and thrusts. 

Instead he indulged himself in curbing his moves while he captivated looked down between them to admire the view of her, of them, connected like this, glistening wet of her juices as he slowly and deliberately pushed himself in and out of her with long strokes.

An anguish moan that stemmed from his core left his throat and soaked with admiration and worship. It was an extremely arousing and mesmerizing view.

And her sounds were music in his ears. 

"What are you doing to me, woman?" he whispered in amazed wonder when he once more started to move faster, pounding into her with forceful strokes like she seemed to want him to.

_I won't hold much longer_ she thought,_ and don't I want to either._ She managed to whisper "I'm close, so _don't hold back, Steven..."_

With his thumb stroking over her swollen core, Hackett pushed her wildly over the edge with a few forceful jerks with his hips.

She cried right out, the intensity of her climax sending wave after wave of intense, hot pleasure soaring through her, and was completely oblivious to if someone heard her.

The feeling of his inexorable, heavy pounding inside Jane rippled from her insides through her body, prolonging her orgasm. 

And pushed on his own. Somewhere in his lust ridden mind he realized this was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, Shepard's beautiful body trembling uncontrollably in front of him and her slick muscles contracting around him. 

First she wasn't aware of his purple eyes intently savoring _every_ detail of her climax. Relishing the astonishing fact that _he_ was the one giving her this, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back his orgasm.

Hackett's breaths were fast and heavy, his thrusts became unrhythmical and feral, slamming into her core that still clenched and trembled around him and his sounds like tortured primal groans. When she finally opened her eyes - dark like wells, glossy of pleasure and a lingering orgasm still clinging inside of her - he lost the battle willingly.

The man and Admiral, the maverick and self disciplined mastermind, gasped and moaned her name over and over with his back arched and face lifted to the ceiling as his body climaxed and trembled uncontrollably.

An intense, almost painful bliss drowned him completely and sent him out into a seemingly endless space for a long time, before he bent down and kissed her tenderly.

...  
Still erect in the aftermath of his orgasm, he began moving slowly in her again, sending new ecstatic ripples of pleasure in them both. Giving her the loveliest of smiles, so warm, gentle and sweet, before kissing her tenderly, Jane thought her heart would melt completely, if it hadn’t already. 

After they'd got dressed quickly in a comfortable silence they ended up standing with their arms around each other. The courageous N7 stood blushing ever so slightly and a joyful Fleet Admiral was shaking his head in disbelief and smiling merrily as much at her blushing cheeks as at what had taken place between them. But they didn't let go, not yet. He stroked her red cheek tenderly as he slowly reached forward to place a kiss on her lips. He simply couldn't help himself now when the dams to his deep emotional reservoir had been breached.   
Neither of them knew what this meant hereafter but Shepard felt she might need to clarify a thing or two.  
Steven, I don't know what this means for you and I hereafter, but I hope you understand that this wasn't merely sex for me, or that I would ever use it against you? I expect no benefits when I arrive in Vancouver" The look she gave him was proud, vulnerable and defiant at the same time and with all hormones rushing around in his body still, he kissed her again and pulled her closer to him.

"I already knew that, mihja, don't you worry. And dito...", he whispered with his lips against her hair and felt her relax again.

Duty and obligations made it however difficult for Hackett to express all the concern and assurance he felt for her, and that he still would do everything he could for this house arrest to be as short and honorable as possible.  
But this astute, brave and incredible woman in his arms already seemed to understand and he smiled warmly against her hair.

"I'll try to keep in contact when I can" she said and tried to find the strength to let go of his embrace, but first she let her hands caress his hair and pull him closer to her to kiss him one final time. Her tongue immediately and eagerly met his and after a long, increasingly passionate kiss, they separated with sighs and gasps for air.

He moaned regrettably, murmuring, "I don't think I ever hated to send someone away so much as I do now, Shepard.. But if you don't leave now I won't let you out of arms length at all.." By the suddenly darker gaze in his eyes she knew the Admiral didn't joke - and she felt it against her hips too... She had to steel herself when she slipped out of his embrace and walked towards the doors. Just before the doors opened she looked back at him still standing there an looking after her.

With a grin on her face she said, "oh I almost forgot Admiral, Thank you very much for your Valentine's Day wish... The song is absolutely beautiful. I truly hope we will have the opportunity to dance to it sometime..."   
And with that she was gone, leaving him with arms and lips already longing for her, and with a joyful heart and chuckle on his lips.


End file.
